Aakash Chopra believes Pakistan’s bowling is no longer their strongest suit as they prepare to face India in the World Cup in 2023.
The arch-rivals will compete at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Both sides have won their respective first two matches, and a positive result for either team in the decisive match could go a long way in sealing their spot in the semi-finals.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Pakistan team and their experts lack confidence and that their bowling has declined in effectiveness.
“You don’t see that much confidence in the Pakistan camp and on their experts’ faces and views. They don’t have the confidence that they will win because there are a lot of gaps visible,”
“Bowling – Pakistan’s strength has become their weakness. It’s being said that Shaheen Shah Afridi’s third finger is swollen because of which he is unable to hold the ball properly. He is finding it very difficult,”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra is doubtful about Pakistan’s whole bowling lineup.
“Hasan Ali is doing well but we don’t know if we will continue to do well. Haris Rauf has looked off-color. Shadab Khan is unable to pitch the ball at the right spot. Mohammad Nawaz is looking extremely flat. I don’t know whether they will play Usama Mir,”
Aakash Chopra
Pakistan conceded 344 runs in their most recent encounter against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, with practically all of their bowlers being called to task.
Despite this, they triumphed by six wickets, with Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique delivering brave hundreds.
“Babar has never scored a fifty against India” – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also emphasized Pakistan’s batting problems, especially Babar Azam’s poor ODI record versus India. He stated:
“Babar has never scored a fifty against India. It seems like Imam-ul-Haq can get out to a short ball anytime. Even Chacha (Iftikhar Ahmed) down the order hasn’t scored that many runs.”
Aakash Chopra
The renowned expert finished by saying that the Men in Green do not appear to be as powerful as they were one and a half months ago.
Despite the fact that he is unsure how Pakistan will play, he has chosen Rohit Sharma and his team as the favorites and believes they will win the game.